


Paranoia

by AvengersCompound (emilyevanston)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Being Lost, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Compass, F/M, Fluff, Happy Steve Bingo, Horror Movie Mentions, Humor, M/M, Multi, Paranoia, Polyamory, Reader-Insert, Road Trips, psycho (film)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 01:27:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20612672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilyevanston/pseuds/AvengersCompound
Summary: During a road trip with Bucky and Steve, Steve goes off the highway.  It would probably be okay except for the fact you and Bucky suffer from some serious paranoia.Square filled:@buckybarnesbingo - C5 Compass, @happystevebingo - Road Trips





	Paranoia

**Author's Note:**

> _Some of the dialogue in this comes directly from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho._

You’d been sleeping in the back seat when you were woken rather abruptly by Steve and Bucky arguing in the front. You pried your eyes open. The car was completely dark and it was pouring outside. The rain thundered down on the roof, drowning out the sound of the music playing and the wipers working overtime to keep the windscreen clear.

Not that they helped much. You could barely see three feet in front of the car. It was like driving through a thick soup that not even light could penetrate. You sat up feeling disoriented and a little confused. When you’d fallen to sleep it was mostly fine out and you were on the freeway.

“How the hell do you of all people get lost with a GPS?” Bucky snapped.

“Calm down, would you?” Steve sighed. “I already said I’m not lost.”

“Then where are we, Steve?” Bucky snarked. “You say we’re not lost, so tell me where the fuck we are?”

“Just because I don’t know where we are, doesn’t mean I don’t know where we’re going,” Steve said calmly as he peered into the oncoming gloom. “But I am going to stop at the first motel we hit. This weather is crazy. I can barely even see anything.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah? And when do you think that will be? I haven’t seen anything except corn for about 3 hours now.”

You blinked out into the gloom outside, distorted by the rain that ran down the glass. You could vaguely make out the silhouette of miles and miles of corn past the narrow tar road you were traveling on. There was no light from street lamps overhead. No signs indicating that a McDonalds or a Denny’s was coming up anytime soon. Not even the faint glow of the lights on inside someone’s home in the distance. Just darkness, rain and row after row of corn.

“What’s going on?” You asked sitting forward and learning between the two men.

Bucky turned and looked at you. “Your dumbass boyfriend has got us lost.”

“I did not get us lost,” Steve argued.

“Why’s he only my dumbass boyfriend all of a sudden? He was your dumbass boyfriend first?” You added.

“I’m not a dumbass anything,” Steve said. “And I’m not lost.”

“What happened?” You asked, completely ignoring Steve.

“Well, darlin’,” Bucky said. “Not long after you fell asleep ol’ Stevie here decided that it would be nice if we got off the freeway for a bit. See some of the real America. Maybe find a nice diner or something to eat at. It wasn’t long before there was a whole lot of corn. Then the clouds rolled in. Then the GPS started showing us not even driving on a road. Then it stopped workin’ altogether. Then the rain started.”

“Well, this is a delightful start to a horror movie.” You said. “You do realize there are kids living in that corn and they’re gonna sacrifice us to their corn god?”

Bucky raised his eyebrow at you. “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

“Right,” you said. “Neither of you watch horror movies. Well, trust me. This is bad news. If the car gets a flat, you better keep driving it on its rims.”

“Good, god.” Steve sighed. “You’re worse than him.”

“You should turn around, Steve.” You said. “I don’t like this.”

“Sweetheart, stop being so overdramatic. This is a tarred road. It has to go somewhere and we’ve been on it for three hours.” Steve said. “Besides, I’m not lost. We needed to go South West and we’ve been traveling southwest the entire time.”

He tapped the old brass compass that he’d stuck to the dashboard. The picture of Peggy Carter still safely in place. The little needle rattled with the movement of the car as it moved along the asphalt but it was going South West just like Steve said. “Why do you think I take this everywhere with me?”

“To keep Peggy with you?” Bucky asked.

“I put Peggy’s photo in there because I always had the compass with me. I didn’t put the compass around the photo so I’d remember the compass.” Steve snarked.

“Well excuse me,” Bucky shot back, rolling his eyes.

“Look, all I’m saying is, we’re probably all going to be killed by hive mind children or hill people if you stop here. So… it’s been nice knowing you.” You added.

“Is Clint a Hill person? He grew up around here?” Bucky asked, sarcastically.

“No,” You snarked back. “He’s one of the hive mind kids. They just hated sharing his filthy thoughts with him and kicked him out.”

“Oh my god. You two,” Steve groaned. “I never take any time off. The one time I do and you won’t stop griping at me. Get in the back and I’ll put on a movie for you both.”

“What am I a kid?” Bucky snarked.

“You’re acting like a kid,” Steve said. “Go on.”

Bucky unbuckled his seatbelt and awkwardly climbed over the central console, before slithering into the back seat, half falling on you. You shoved him and he leaned in close and nuzzled at your cheek. “Hey there.”

“Don’t start annoying me now.” You said.

“Come on, I didn’t get us lost,” Bucky said, bucking up and putting his arm around you. “Besides, I can protect you from the hill people.”

“Oh yeah, what if they have a chain saw?” You asked.

“I have a metal arm. Besides, Steve’s shield is under his seat.” Bucky said kicking it.

“Steve!” You squawked. “You brought your shield?”

Steve looked back at you through the rearview mirror. “Yes.” He said as if you’d just asked him a stupid question.

“You’ll be thankful for it when the hill people attack the car.” Bucky teased.

You huffed and relaxed against him as Steve put on The Force Awakens. About halfway through the movie houses started to appear. Just one or two and they never seemed to have their lights on. Occasionally you could see candles flickering inside the houses as you passed them. That only gave made you more disconcerted than when it was just corn.

Finally, about 20 minutes from the end of the movie Steve sighed and slowed the car. “Thank god.” He said as he turned the indicator on. You sat forward and saw the sign that read Motel, though it wasn’t lit up at all.

Steve pulled the car into the carpark and stopped close to the office. He jumped out and ran to the door and stopped under the awning.

“What’s he doing?” You asked as you watched him peering at the door.

“Looks like he’s reading something,” Bucky said.

Steve shook his head and ran back to the car, jumping back in. He started it back up and drove around to the side of the row of cabins and around the side of the office and stopped again. There was a path that led from office up the side of a hill to a house that seemed to look down over it. Steve flicked the lights on high beam and pressed hard on the horn.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bucky asked.

“There was a sign on the door that said if the office was unattended to drive around here and hit the horn,” Steve said, pressing the horn again.

A tall, thin man came out from the house with an umbrella and jogged down the stairs, waving the car back to the office. Steve pulled it back around and into the parking space by the door. When the man opened the office and waved to you, the three of you jumped out of the car and ran inside. You felt a shudder go up your spine as soon as you were inside.

“Dirty night.” The guy said.

“You have a vacancy?” Steve asked, hopefully.

“We have twelve vacancies. Twelve cabins, twelve vacancies.” He answered. “They moved away the highway.”

“Yeah, we got off the main,” Bucky said, glaring at Steve.

The uneasy feeling you had before was intensifying. You wished you hadn’t stopped and you were starting to feel like stopping was a terrible idea.

The guy moved to the other side of the counter and pulled out a registration book. “I knew you must have. No one stops here anymore unless they do.” He said. “But it’s no good dwelling on our losses, is it. We go right ahead lighting signs and following the formalities.” He turned the book to Steve. “Would you sign, please.”

Steve started filling in the book while you shifted closer to Bucky.

“Just one room?” The guy asked.

“Yeah, just the one,” Steve answered.

“We have rooms with two doubles, or there’s a couple with a king a pullout.”

“The king,” Steve said quickly and pulled out his wallet, handing over his credit card.

“Is there a place we can get something to eat nearby?” Bucky asked.

“The town is just 10 miles along, but the powers out. They aren’t going to be able to serve you.” He said. “I have the generator running. I can bring you down something. Nothing extravagant. Sandwiches. Soup maybe?”

“That’s very generous, Mr…?” Steve said looking up.

“Berry.” He said. “You can call me Arthur.”

You felt yourself relax. For some reason, you were actually expecting him to say Norman Bates.

“Thank you, Arthur,” Steve said.

Arthur looked at the book and then back up at Steve. “Oh, hey. You’re Captain America, aren’t you? Yeah, I know you. What a privilege. I’ll bring you something right down.” He turned and grabbed some keys from the wall. “Cabin One. It’s closer in case you want anything… right next to the office.”

He went and helped Steve grab some bags and led the three of you two cabin one, unlocking the door and letting you all in. He and Steve put the bags by the door and he turned to you. “Well… the mattress is soft and there’re hangers in the closet and stationary with the motel’s name printed on it in case you want to make your friends back home envious… and… the… over there…” He indicated to the bathroom.

“The bathroom.” Bucky finished for him.

“Well, I’ll go get you some supper,” Arthur said and backed towards the door. He stopped and looked between the three of you. “I was wondering… if maybe you’d do me the honor of eating with me. We can eat in the office. It’s nice back there.”

“Of course,” Steve said warmly.

Arthur smiled brightly. “Great. That’s great. I’ll be right back.”

He dashed out of the room and Bucky pushed the door closed.

“Well, that’s it,” You said, starting to strip off your wet clothes. “We are all dead. That man is coming back here in drag and stabbing us in the shower.”

Bucky snorted. “What the hell?”

“Why would he do that? Is that… a thing people do?” Steve asked.

You huffed. “Just forget it. You’ve doomed us, Rogers. Doomed. Us.”

“Okay, drama queen. Just change your clothes.” Bucky said.

By the time the three of you had changed into warmer and more comfortable clothes, there was a rapping on the cabin door. Steve opened it to see Arthur with his umbrella. “I’ve set the food up in the office.” He said in greeting.

The three of you followed him over back to the office. He led you into the back room and turned the light on.

You nearly ran from it screaming. Stuffed birds were on every available surface. It was like he’d taken modeling advice directly from Alfred Hitchcock. There were all kinds of birds. From tiny jewel-like hummingbirds to huge birds of prey.

You reluctantly followed Steve and Bucky to the table, when all you wanted to do was go straight to the car, forgetting your things and just going as far from here as possible.

“You’re very kind,” Steve said taking a seat.

“You have a pretty interesting hobby,” Bucky said looking around. “You like birds?”

“Oh, I don’t know anything about birds. My hobby is stuffing things… taxidermy. And I guess I’d just rather stuff birds because… well, I hate the look of beasts when they’re stuffed, foxes and chimps and all… some people even stuff dogs and cats… but I can’t… I think only birds look well stuffed because they’re rather… passive, to begin with… most of them…” Arthur said.

You ate the soup and sandwich slowly, the appetite you had built in the long drive quickly draining and turning into mild nausea.

“It’s a strange hobby. Curious, I mean.” Steve said, obviously trying to be polite

“Uncommon too,” Arthur said.

“I imagine so,” Steve said.

You sat silently as Steve and Bucky made small talk with Arthur and tried to force the food down. This whole thing was like it was directly from a horror movie and you were starting to really freak out about it.

When you finished eating he led you back to the room and you couldn’t have been more grateful when he left you alone.

“Yeah, they’re gonna find our bodies in a trunk at the bottom of a lake,” You said turning and heading to the bathroom.

“What is wrong with you?” Steve asked. “Even if there was some basis for your major paranoia, you’re with us. You really think he’s going to be able to take both me and Bucky out? That skinny guy who just made us grilled cheese and tomato soup?”

“You don’t get it, is all.” You said, shutting the bathroom door behind you. You searched around the bathroom for peepholes and when you were sure there was no way he could be watching you on the other side of the wall, you turned on the water and stripped off your clothes.

You’d been standing under the hot water willing yourself to just relax already for five minutes when the shower curtain was pulled back.

You screamed.

Loudly.

You stumbled back as your feet slipped in the tub. Bucky caught you and held you up before you actually fell and killed yourself. “What the hell?” he said. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I didn’t hear you. You need to wear a goddamn bell.” You said trying to get onto a stable footing.

Steve appeared in the door on high alert. “What happened? What’s going on?”

“Our girlfriend is out of her damned mind is what,” Bucky said as he stepped into the tub.

“I thought it was Arthur coming to stab me.” You pouted.

Steve shook his head. “You need to sleep, honey. You’re seriously paranoid.”

You decided not to press the issue. They didn’t watch horror movies and they had both missed the time period the references were the most relevant. You shrugged and went back to showering and Bucky pulled the shower curtain closed. You washed together and got out. When you were dry and in your pajamas the three of you climbed into bed. You squeezed into the middle of them, not wanting to be the one on the outside at all.

The next morning you woke with Steve at the crack of dawn. The rain had stopped but that didn’t stop you from hustling them both out the door.

“Honey, you need to calm down. What’s the rush?” Steve said as he and Bucky loaded your suitcases back into the car.

“I’m starving and I want pancakes or waffles or something.” You lied. The motel and nearby house did not look nearly as creepy or Bates Motel like in the morning light. In fact, it was quite cheery and welcoming. Still, you didn’t want to be here anymore. You’d be much happier when you were out of the horror scape that had been last nights trip through Murderville. “Come on. Come on.”

You all piled into the car and Steve started it up. He played around with the GPS for a moment before he started laughing.

“What? What’s going on?” Bucky asked.

You leaned over the inner console to take a look at the GPS.

“You’re not going to believe it but we’re 20 minutes away from the resort,” Steve said laughing.

“You’re kidding me?” Bucky said.

“So this isn’t Murderville?” You asked.

“Nope,” Steve said and pulled the car out of the car park. “It’s sexy, couples retreat-ville. Now next time, you -” He said reaching back and tapping your knee. “-need to stop being so paranoid. And you -” He said punching Bucky in the arm. “- need to trust Peggy. She always shows me where to go.”


End file.
